Bearing construction



Patented Apr. 4, 1944 2,345,952 BEARING CONSTRUCTION Floyd T. smith, white Pleins, N. Y., assigner 'to The Singer Manufacturing Company, Elizabeth, N. J., a. corporation of New Jersey Application December 16, 1942, serial No. 469,154`

(Cl. aos- 189) 6 Claims.

This invention relates to bearing constructions and more particularly tobearings for use on small dynamo. electric devices especially adapted for service on aircraft.

Due to the extreme temperatures encountered by many aircraft which today ascend to high altitudes, it becomes necessary, particularly intl-lel case of -the delicate instruments associated with suchlaircraft, to employ some form of temperature compensation.V Thisneed for compensation is augmented by the joint use of materials hav" ing dilerent coeflicients of thermal expansion cramped between the race rings under .a heavy thrust load causing the bearing to freeze and such, for example, as aluminum housings for light weight combined with steel shafts for wear.

More particularly, it has been found that the anti-friction bearings employed on a small aircraft motor, while satisfactory at ordinary temperatures, tighten up and bind at the low temperatures commonly encountered and so load the motorthat either its speed drops 01T to some uselessly low value or it stops altogether.

This behavior is caused by two factors, viz., (1) the differential expansion and contraction between the steel shaft and the aluminum housing and (2) the inability of present bearing constructions to properly take up this expansion and contraction throughout the extreme temperature rangesV now experienced.

Thisdifculty is especially serious in connec- -tion with small electric motors designed for aircraft service in which light alloys and high speeds are generally combined to make a light weight motor. Such a motor isunfortunately more susceptible to rapid heating and cooling with It. associated expansion and contraction than would be the case for a heavier motor.

Ordinarily the 'diierential thermal expansion and contraction has been taken up heretofore tighten up.

It is, therefore, an object of this invention to provide a bal1 bearing construction which shall maintain its anti-friction properties over a sufciently wide temperature range.

According to my invention, I propose to keep substantially the present standard construction for the rotor shaft and the bearings therefor, but to provide a new and useful hub construction for receiving saidvbearings which prevents binding between the' bearing race-ring and hub over a sufciently wide temperature range.

My invention is not limited to dynamo electric machines but obviously extends to applications involving rotatable elements and their associated bearings wherein diiiiculty from wide variations in temperature may be expected.

Referring to the drawing showing the preferred form of my invention- Fig. 1 is a longitudinal sectional view taken ,Y through a dynamo electric machine illustrating by the well-known expedient of providing a steel ball bearing the outer race-ring of which is free to move axially within and relative to an aluminum supporting hub and of preferably preloading said bearing with a resilient axial spring thrust to take up any end-play; While this arrangement appears to be satisfactory forv ordinary temperature changes', it has been xfound that, what was at sea level a push or finger t between the bearing and the hub becomes at the erly take up the unequal expansion between housing and sha-ft. As a result, the bearing balls are my invention.

Fig. 2 is a transverse sectional view, partly in elevation, taken substantially on line 2 2 of Fig. 1

, The motor employed to illustrate the invention sa commutator type motor adapted for use in aircraft for driving instruments associated therewith and. comprises a wound magnetizable stator core l held within an aluminum frame 2. Diecast aluminum end bonnets 3 and 4 are formed with bearing supporting hubs 5 and 6, respectively, and are secured to said frame 2 by lmeans of respective tap bolts 'l and 8 threaded into said frame. A wound magnetizable rotor core 9 is carried by a steel shaft l0 anclv is free to rotate within the stator core l. A commutator ll and brushes I2 (only one shown), provide means for introducing current into the rotor ina manner well known to those skilled in the art.

The hub 5 is formed preferably with a closed annular edge portion while the hub 6 is formed with asimilar edge portion except that it is provided with ,peripherally vspaced slots I3 which penetrate the full depth of the hub to destroy the peripheral continuity thereof. The'hu'bs 5 and 6 contain respective bearing-receiving bores 5 and 6*. Y e

A ball bearing i4, preferably having a loose race and ball i'lt has its inner race-ring l5 pressed lightly onto a reduced portion |6,of shaft I0 and is positioned axially against an oil-shield disc dimensions.

shaft. The outer race-ring 23 of bearing I9 is l carried within the bore Iia of the slotted hub 6 by a finger t therewith to allow said bearing to iind its own axial position within said bore and to prevent the accumulation of detrimentally large thrust loads dueto relative expansion or contraction of the parts. 'I'he depth of the bore 6a may be made sufliciently greater than the axial length of the bearing to accommodate the expected axial travel of the outer race-ring 23 relative to the hub 6. Further, the bottom of the bore (ia is preferably formed with a shoulder-portion 26 which serves as a stop to limit the travel of said outer race-ring.

The ball bearings I4 and I9 are standard commercially available bearings and are preferably of the loose race and ball flt type well known to the art and which permits some slight' relative axial and radial motion pf the outer and inner raceways. y

It will be noted that the housing, comprising the-'stator frame 2 and the end bonnets 3 and 4, is formed of aluminum to save weight, while the shaft I and bearings I4 and I9 are made of steel to provide good wearing qualities. Since the coeicient of expansion for aluminum is about double that for steel, the housing will expand or contract axially more than the shaft with the bearings secured thereto for the same temperature range. This unequal expansion is taken up by purposely maintaining a push or finger t between the outer race-ring 23 and the bore 6EL of the hub 6 so that said race-ring may move axially in the mannerof a piston, when so urged. In eiect, the hub 6 provides a series of cantilever elements 6b projecting from the aluminum end bonnet 4 to form a resilient lsocketI embracing the steel outer race-ring 23. Preferably a spring washer 25 is disposed between 'theouter racering 23 and the stop shoulder 26 to preload the bearing axially in accordance with well-estaby lished practice for taking up end play.

It will be"'understood that, without the slots I3, the arrangement is unfortunately ideal for shrinking the aluminum hub onto the outer steel race-ring due to the greater contraction of aluminum as the temperature is lowered. However, since this is undesirable in interfering with the free axial movement of the'bearing I9 relative to the hub i as pointed out hereinbefore, the hub is slotted, according to the invention, to its full depth so that it cannot support sufiicient circumferential tension to grip the bearing with a tight shrink fit. Further the portions 6b of the hub between the slots serve as cantilever ngers which shim may be substituted for the spring washer and its thickness so chosen as to obtain the predetermined amount of end-play. This is clearly within the scope of the present invention.

It will be perceived from the above description that I have provided a simple, novel and useful bearing construction for rotatable shafts, which construction assists in maintaining the initial anti-frictional qualities over a wide temperature range.

'As used herein, the term normal temperatures is intended to mean such temperatures as are commonly encountered at sea level, as, for example, from 0 to 110 degrees Fahrenheit, While the term relatively low temperatures" is intended to include temperatures such as are encountered in the substratosphere. for example, as low as minus 50 degrees Fahrenheit.

To those skilled in the art, it'wnl be obvious that the invention may, without departure from its essential attributes,.be embodied in various specic forms other than that shown and described, which latter is to be considered in all respects asillustrative of the invention and not restrictive.

Having thus set forth the nature of the invention, what I claim herein is:

l. The combination with a rotatable shaft, and a bearing housing therefor having different coeillcients of thermal expansion, of a hub formed on said housing and havinga peripheral edge portion interrupted at intervals around said'edge portion by means of slots longitudinally disposed therein, a bearing having an outer racering push-fitted within said hub, 'and an inner race-ring securedto said shaft.

2. In combination, a rotatabfe shaft, a bearing support therefor, a hub formed on said support and havingf'la peripheral edge portion interrupted at spaced intervals around said edge portion by means of axial slots formed therein, a bearingreceiving bore formed in said slotted hub andl having a stop shoulder therewithin, abearing having an outer race-ring slidably seated in said bore and push-fitted within said hub, a spring washer disposed axially between said outer racering and said stop shoulder, said bearing having having an outer race-ring push-fitted within said hub.

4. A bearing construction adapted to function uniformly over a wide ltemperature range, comyield radially and provide a composite resilient receiving socket for the bearing to aid i maintaining a push t between hub and bearing over a suiciently large change in temperature. Although fourl slots I3 are shown in the hu 6, it is obviously within the scope of the invention to employ as many slots as are necessary to maintain the desired fit, depending on the hub In those cases where it is not essential or desirf y able that the end-play be taken up, the washer 25 may be entirely dispensed with, or an ordinary prising a supporting member made of relatively lightweight metal having a. relatively high coeillcient of thermal expansion, a cup-like hub formed integral with said supporting member and projecting therefrom, said hub having a plurality of slots formed therein and breaking the peripheral continuity thereof, and an anti-friction bearing including an outer race-ring, of metal having a. relatively low coefilcient of thermal expansion, having a push-fit within said hub under normal temperatures, said slots rendering said hub suillciently yielding to prevent said hub from contracting suiiiciently to destroy said push-nt under relatively low temperatures.

5. A dynamo electric machine 'comprising a frame, a pair of end bonnets secured thereto, each of said end bonnets having formed integrally project- @845,952 therewith a cup-like bearing-supporting hub proP jecting from one side thereof, one of said hubs having therein a plurality of slots dividing the hub -into a plurality of sectors, an anti-friction bearing having an outer race-ring having a push t within said sectors under normal temperatures, said race-ring having a lower coeiiicient of thermal expansion than saidend bonnets, said slots rendering said hub suilciently yielding to prevent said sectors from binding on said racerin?,r sufficiently to prevent axial shifting of said race-ring in said sectors under relatively low temperatures.

6. lA dynamo electric machine comprising a frame, a pair of end bonnets secured thereto,

each of said end bonnets being made o f metal having a relatively high coeflicient of thermal expansion'and having formed integrally therewith a cup-like bearing-supporting hub projecting from one side thereof, an anti-friction bearing having an outer race-ring fitted within each of said hubs and an inner race-ring rotatably journaled in the outer race-ring, a shaft fltted within said inner racerings,said shaft and bearings being maderof metal having a relatively low coeilicient of thermal expansiomoneof said bearing hu-bs having therein a plurality of slots dividing the hub into a plurality of substantially rigid sectors within which the associated outer racering is held by a push iit under'normal temperatures, said sectors being suiciently yielding to preclude gripping of the inserted race-ring with suflicient contractive force to alter said push-t when said parts are subjected to rela- FLOYD T. SMITH.

.tively low temperatures.- 

